Vacuum-feed system



April 7, 1925.

G. c. NELSON VACUUM Fmzb SYSTEM Filed June 14. v1920 Carburetor IE5-ai.

Patented 7, 1925,

UNITED STATES PATENT ormone GUSI'AvE O. NELSON, or iuOLINii,` ILLINOIS,r assIeNon rro Bone a Bisex-COMPANY,

OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

VACUUM-FEED SYSTEM.

Appneuon inea mie 14, 1920. serial No. 388,755.

'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, GUSTAVE C. NELSON,

a citizen of theUnited States7 residingI at Moline, in the Vcounty of` Rock Island and 5 State of Illinois7 have invented certain new and `useful Improvements in Vacuum-Feed Systems, of which the following is a specification. Y f

This invention relates to fuel feedsys-k tems for explosive engines and it is particularly useful as an accessory to an aut-omobile or truck engine. l

The primary object `of the invention is toprovide means of simple and substantial construction and comprising comparatively few parts for connection With thefuelsupply tank and the engine `whereby a constant and regular gravity fuel feed to the engine will always be maintained.

i Further objects of ythe invention are to prevent the fuel from being drawn from the inlet into the vacuuml connection by the suction from the engine; to avoid delicate connections and complicated operating parts; to insure a constant and regulated feed to the engine; Vand to provide a reserve supply of fuel for emergency use.

In the accompanying; drawing; I have illustrated a selected embodiment of the'in* vention in a vertical se'ctionalview and referring` thereto 1 is the liquid fuel receiving chamber and 2 is the feed chamber. These chambers are contained Within a cylindrical tank 3 having a top fi and a semispherical bottom 5. A partition 6 of inverted cup-shaped form is secured within the tank above the bottom 5 and spaced from the` side Wall of the tank to form with the bottom 5. the feed chamber 2. A `tube Tis connected to the topV of the partition 6 and projects through the top 4t of the tank to form a vent for the feed chamber.v A float 8 is carried by a sleeve 9 which fits loosely upon the tube 7 and iS provided at 'its upper end with a valvedisk 10. The disk is adaptedto seatagainst nipple 11 which projects inwardly from the top 4:- and comm'unicates With and forms part ofthe comicofrom the supply tank ceases.

tion 12J The nipple 11 is Vconnected with the intake manifold of vthe engine by a pipe (not shown)` suitably engaged -With the connection 12. An inlet nipple lprojects in! Wardly from the top 4, below nipple 11. and communicates with and forms part of the c-onnection 14 which` is connected by a pipe (not shown) in a suitable manner to the supply ltank usually located at the rear ofthe car. j An air vent 15 is located in the top 4 and is preferably provided with a pet cock 16. A conduit 17 is supported in an opening in the top of the partition 6 and is providedat its lovver end with a flap valve' 18'to admit liquid lfuel from the receiving chamber Ito the feed chamber 2, vand from the latter'the fuel flows through a pipe'19 to the carburetor. A by-pass :2O provided with a valve 2'1 maybe provided to connect the receiving chamber 1 with the carburetor Afeed pipe 19. to insure a reserve supply of liquid fuel for emergency purposes. y

Myinvention provides an apparatus of very simple construction which `is free from delicate and complicated and in which the movable parts are reduced to a float operated cutoff and a valve. v plicity of construction not only enables the apparatus to be made in a substantial form at comparatively lo'Iv cost but it reduces to a minimum and practically eliminates entirely all liability of the apparatus Wearing out or getting out of order. rl`he float operates freelv on the tube I and its control of the out-off valve disk is supplemented by the suction of the engine so that the buovant action ofthe fuel in the receiviuo; chamber isnot entirely depended upon for the-operation of the cutoff. `Uien the cut-off 10 approaches' close to the nipple 11 the suction of the engine Will lift the Vcut-Off and the float and close the nipple and when the suction is thus -c'ut off the inflow of fuel This vutiliz-an tion of the 'suction to effect the cut-ofi' when the float vhas lifted the cut-ottdisk in adjacent relation to the nipple, 11 avoids the rIhis simi necessity for depending entirely upon the level of the liquid in the receiving chamber to effect the cut-off and also prevents air flutteringl action of the cut-ofi valve .vhich might result therefrom. Eind the sa :tion also holds the cut-off disk in operative cngagement with the nipple even after the level of the liquid has lowered bey-ond b ifiii point where it will, through the medium of the fio-at, hold the cnt-off disk against the nipple, so that iiuttering action of the cutoffV valve is avoided when 'this v 7e is opened as well as when it is closed and in each instance the movement of the cnt-off valve is quickened to provide a highlyY cient operation.

The lioat sleeve is loosely mounted on the vent tube 7, which forms a `guide therefor, so that it will operate freely and easily under the influence of the liquid in the receiving .chamber in any service position of the tanks, and the iioat and the cut-off valve disk and connecting sleeve are free to revolve on the tube 7 so that, as I have found in commercial use ofthe invention, the upper face or seat of the Icut-off valve disk l0 keeps clean and capable of tightly closing the nipple opening. This manner of loosely mounting the cut-off va-lve disk also enables it to find its seat and seat squarely and properly in any service position of the tank regardless of any minor imperfections of workmanship or in thc adjustment of parts.

I prefer to extend the inlet nipple 13 a suflicient distance below the suction nipple 11 and to locate the disk with relation to the float to insure cutting off the suction before there is any opportunity for thevsuction drawing fuel direct'into the vacuum nipple from the fuel inlet and for this purpose I also prefer to cut the lower end 13 of the inlet nipple 13 angularly with the longer side thereof located opposite 'the nipple ll.

The by-pass 20 forms a convenient means for maintaining small reserve supply of fuel suiiicient to start the engine when the feed chamber-'and the receiving chamber are empty and to continue the engine in operation while the receiving` chamber is being filled, thus avoiding the necessity for priming` the apparatus in the manner now customary in these systems. i

I have found in practical experience that the fuel feedV systems now in general use sometimes fail on long or steep up-grades because the receiving chamber does not fill fast enough to maintain a supply inthe feed chamber. In the practical use of my invention I have found that these difficulties are entirely eliminated because of the free action of the float and cut-off valve. and the rapid operation and quick movement of this valve due to the utilization of the suctien ef the e L ne in closing the valve and in holding th valve closed until the level lthe art that my invention may be embodied in other forms than the selected form herein illustrated and I reserve the right to make all such changes in the form, construction` proportion and arrangement of parts as fairly fall within the scope of the followiirqclaims.

I claim:

l. In a vacuum feed system, a tank comprising a receiving chamber and a feed chamber, a valved communication between said chambers, a vacuum producing conn ction to the receiving chamber comprising a nipple projecting inward from the top of said chamber, a float operated disk cut-off to engage said nipple and close said connection, and a liquid fuel supply inlet in the top of the receiving` chamber comprising` a nipple projecting into the receiving chamber from the top thereof and having its lower end located below the end of the nipple in the vacuum connection and cut angularly in relation to its length and with the longer side located opposite said vacuum connection nipple.

2. In a vacuum feed system, a tank having` a receiving` chamber and a feed chamber, a valved communication between said chambers, an outlet pipe connected to said feed chamber, and a valved by-pass connecting said outlet pipe with the receiving,r chamber.

In a vacuum feed system, a tank having a bottom, an inverted cup-shaped partition secured within the tank above the bottom and spaced from the side wall of the tank, said partition dividing the tank into a receiving chamber and a feed chamber, a valved communication between said chambers, means for admittingliquid fuel into the receiving chamber, and an outlet pipe connected to the feed chamber.

it, In a vacuum feed system, a tank having a bottom, an inverted cup-shaped partition secured within the tank' above said bottom and spaced from side wall of the tank, said partition dividingithe tank into a receiving chamber and a feed chamber, a valved communication between the receiving chamber and the feed chamber, means for admitting liquid fuel into the receiving chamber, an outlet pipe connected to the feed chamber, and a valved by-pass correcting said outlet pipe with the space between the partition and the side wall of the tank.

' 5. In a vacuum feed system, a tank having a semispherical bottom, e partition of inverted cup-shaped form secured Within the tank above the bottom'and spaced from the `eide Well of the tank, the bottom and parbetween said chambers, a vacuum produoing connection to the receiving chamber, a float operated cut-0H' to close said conneclo tion, and a liquid fuel supply inlet to seid receiving chamber.

UsTAvE C. NELSON, 

